Those wanting to visit council libraries, such as the Te Mataphi/Bulls Community Centre, will now be required to be vaccinated. Photo / NZME
Those wanting to visit council libraries, such as the Te Mataphi/Bulls Community Centre, will now be required to be vaccinated. Photo / NZME
Unvaccinated people will be barred from accessing Rangitīkei District Council library services.
However, the council will allow those who aren't jabbed to enter if they've had a negative Covid-19 test.
The council, which has spent the last three weeks mulling over a decision on vaccination mandates, announced the news ina statement on Tuesday morning.
While the decision on the implementation of proof-of-vaccination requirements sits with council chief executive Peter Beggs, he said elected councillors gave their sign-off on the plan and were expected to confirm their support at a meeting on Thursday.
Under the council's new framework, which applies at the red and orange settings of the traffic light system, anyone entering public council facilities must present their Covid-19 vaccination pass.
Those facilities include the three district libraries, which will implement the new rules on Wednesday morning.
The council chambers, as well as the main council reception in Marton, will also require proof of vaccination, but this rule won't be implemented until Monday, January 17.
The council has contracted a number of security guards to be placed outside council buildings to ensure compliance.
However, unlike other councils in the region, people who have made the decision not to be vaccinated will still be permitted to access council facilities if they have returned a negative test within the previous 24 hours.
Beggs said the council intended to use disposable rapid antigen tests, a less reliable but quicker form of testing than a nasal swab, returning results in 15 minutes.
Rangitīkei District Council chief executive Peter Beggs made the decision alongside elected members. Photo / NZME
Those testing kits are currently being rolled out at pharmacies across the country, but it's not clear if they're yet available in the Rangitīkei District.
Beggs said he wasn't aware if the testing had yet been rolled out in the district, but said the council's implementation of the rules was looking toward a future where rapid-antigen testing would be commonplace.
There is currently no vaccination rule for other council-funded facilities such as swimming pools or waste transfer stations.
Beggs said the council was engaging with contractors involved in the operation of those facilities to discuss the possibility of a mandate.
Staff vaccination to be mandated
As part of the council's announcement, it said all public-facing council staff would be required to be vaccinated.
Beggs said those roles would be identified by a risk framework developed by the council, and measured on the basis of how often the staff engaged with the public.
The decision to require vaccination also received preliminary sign-off from the council.
"The key consideration was that the public felt safe when undertaking business with staff, and that staff felt safe at their work. Elected members gave a preliminary endorsement to this decision and will formally agree on this at the full council meeting this Thursday," Beggs said.
